[Leica] Anyone know why the Leica M-A (the mechanical film burner) is out of stock everywhere

[Howard Ritter]

Leica’s website lists the M-A with no indication that it’s discontinued. The B&H site gives the black and the silver models as back-ordered and as available in 7-10 days, respectively. I guess none of this rules out the possibility that Leica has killed it, though.

It’s interesting to me that the description of the M-A on Leica’s site nowhere states that it’s a film camera, only referring to it as “purely mechanical” and, at the end, noting that since both the M system and Tri-X film were introduced in 1954, and Tri-X is an iconic PJ film, a roll of TX is included with each M-A. 

It’s like the “If you have to ask the price, you can’t afford it” trope. If you have to ask whether the M-A is a film camera, you don’t deserve to be told.

And if Leica wanted to make an un-metered film camera that would be a throwback to the days of M-based photojournalism, one that would appeal to well-heeled nostalgia buffs, why not give it all the classic styling cues of the M3, like they did with an LHSA anniversary set a few years back, complete with a retro-styled 50 ‘Lux? My 1958 M3 DS practically radiates street cred just sitting on my desk, and when I go out with it hanging from my neck, I feel like I’m channeling Capa! (Excuse the snark, please.)

—howard

> On Jan6, 2020, at 2355, Mark Kronquist via LUG <lug at leica-users.org> wrote:
> 
> Did Leica kill it? 
> 
> _______________________________________________
> Leica Users Group.
> See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information